How pretty! I love your Autumn decs . . . and your awesome barstools, too! I've never seen any like that before. Are you, by any chance, in Texas? My DH would call those Texas barstools because of the star on them. Anyhoo, I love them!

Mine is not an island, but a kitchen peninsula/bar. I don't have any seasonal decs on it yet, just the usual things. You're making me want to redo it for Autumn quickly, though, after seeing your pretty display.
Lynn
{{gwi:1528289}}

No photo, but mine currently contains:

Old mail
Two folders of music
A dog toy
Netflix video that no one ever remembers to mail back
Keys
Broken piece off of a drum throne

. . . that's my fall decor.

Nice! I love that clock. Love the painted brick in the background, too. Our house was just completed about six months ago and I'm trying to decide what to keep on my island when I don't have seasonal things on it. Hubby says he would like the cookie jar to stay. :D

Juice cups and toast crumbs...

(I wish my island could be set up so pretty but with 4 kids I don't bother...one day)

I have a hard-working island. It's being pressed into service today, for example, as I flip, rotate, and baste a slab of spareribs in a huge roasting pan. When I entertain, I decorate it--but with appetizers. People gather around and my husband plies them with drinks. When it's just the two of us for a meal, we eat there. I do keep a beautiful coconut-wood platter filled with fruits and vegetables (currently lemons, limes, acorn squash). But the island is a big open space that gets too much daily use to bother with decorative tableau. I do have a long stretch of countertop where I often arrange some flowers in an oversized vase, just for the beauty of it.

I love your rooster!

I have a large island with stools at one end, the range in the middle, and open counter on the other end. Since people tend to gather around that end and lean on it & chat (when there isn't food set up), we call it the pondering end. If you have something you need to ponder, that's a great place to stand.

For parties or big family serve-yourself meals I set up food on the pondering end.

What is always on the counter: various salt & pepper mills, a wire basket with napkins, and my cookbook holder with loose recipes clipped to it. Currently, there is also a box of clementines. I sometimes leave my DH notes or his mail on the pondering end so he notices them.

The only time I put out anything decorative is when there is a party or dinner. Although right now the clementines are very decorative as well as being a handy snack.

kkaymd, I love the idea of a hard working island. I use mine everyday, but I don't cook as much as I used to. Often it's just used as a place to set dinner plates or a pitcher of juice while I prepare meals. There's plenty of room for my decorative stuff plus that. I have rolled a few pie crusts on it (my favorite thing to do there). We've only been in our house a few months.

hhireno, "the pondering end". I love that! Sounds like you enjoy entertaining.

Here is the bulk of mine. Potted orchid to left, and next to it an antique iron horse hitching post from an estate outside of Chicago.

I need to take a picture, this is from the etsy seller. It's 13" tall and heavy!

Here is a link that might be useful: paper towel holder

Wow, I'm envious. Love that hitching post. I really like your wooden tray, too. It looks like an antique as well.

A lamp and maple bowl filled with Macs.

Most of the time there is mail and "crap" on it. It's definitely a catch all. When it is clean though -- it's naked, Nothing at all.

sorry no pic, but I have a bowl of "faux" green apples in a silver bowl. I'm going to replace it soon with a large hurricane lamp with stones and a red candle for christmas OR just fill it up with red christmas balls.

Wow, I'm envious. Love that hitching post. I really like your wooden tray, too. It looks like an antique as well.

Thanks. Isn't it great?! Looks even better in person. I had no idea it was going to be as big and heavy. Decided it was not going outside!

Yes, the box is vintage and was probably a toolbox. I have several repurposed vintage boxes in the kitchen, breakfast and laundry room. Here are two more:

Here is a link that might be useful: repurposed vintage boxes/caddies

I'm with Haley, it's not easy to keep it organized when you have kids...

We have a large peninsula and as of the other night it's completely empty! Well, the dog bowls are at the end of it next to the wall.

I was working on my Pinterest and look what I found! This is in a kitchen, but I plan on doing it somewhere in the LR.

{{!gwi}}

On one side of island - 1 gallon paint can, 4 x 1 quart paint cans, paint chips, rolled up building plans, measuring tape, bills. On peninsula - cameras, kids books & stuff! I had a hoity-toity decorator stop by and she messed with my head ;-) so now I'm doubting my paint choics. Arrrrgh!

Another peninsula. I have a Michael Aram black and silver fruit bowl, a large plate on a stand, and a small empty round bowl that currently has nothing in it. I stopped putting candy in it because then I would eat it. :-)

Jodi-

Love all of these responses. Everyone seems to have a definite function for their island, peninsula or bar. The pictures are gorgeous and I'm getting some new ideas for when I tire of what I have on ours. Thanks! I wish there was a "like" button. I would push it for ALL the photos.

My peninsula has my DH's mail and magazines on it, as planned. The previous kitchen had all his junk in the middle of the counter where I "tried" to work. I planned this kitchen so that he could dump his mail junk outside of the work triangle. He has no idea that this is how the kitchen was planned.
Anyway - the pretty stuff - we have a copper mosaic backsplash behind the stove and I found a large hammered copper bowl while outandabout one day. We keep bananas in it an beside it is an orchid and some wooden coasters to be used for the maple bartop.

My island, which is on the other side of the kitchen and borders on the family room, is a diaper changing station. I am sure some people must think it is nuts when they visit (or read that), but it seems far enough removed from the kitchen to us, and is a convenient location.

Prechanging station:

I have two islands, one is really a work table. Both the cutting board and the two tier basket are from the local hardware store. That's when I knew I'd chosen the right town!

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

color blind, I am allergic but that is so cute

i love the look

colorblind -- too funny! Reminds me of the only cat I ever had my whole life way back in college. Love the colors.

mtnrdredux - beautiful! Have you posted pictures of your finished kitchen? Didn't you renovate it? I saw the picture of your pewter counter on the counter post over in kitchens. Very cool!

who had the cat asleep in a bowl on the counter? that was so cute I want to show it to my girls

That's my cat Bella...she used to sleep in that collander when she was a kitten...every now and then she still tries.

JIllinNJ, I havent, because its still not 100$% finished. Thanks

LOL! Love the kitty.

Love the pics!

That cat is so cute, would LOVE to see the kitten in a colander pic.

love the pix everyone!

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/mywatergarden/09222011011.jpg[/IMG]

Bonnie, your link is not working. Could you try to repost?

I'm really enjoying seeing all of your beautiful kitchens.

Allison, where did you find that ceramic paper towel holder? Looks like it might be a great solution for me.

The Workshopof David T Smith. Inventory changes often. Sign up for emails notices for new inventory and sales:

Here is a link that might be useful: DTS

bonnie's:

Thank you schoolhouse, it's been awhile since I'd posted a pix on here. Actually I posted the wrong one but this gives you an idea. Add a small black rooster figurine next to the candle. :)

schoolhouse - i like that pantry door!

I was going to say, "I didn't post a photo of my pantry did I?" besides, mine doesn't have a door. mtnrdredux, you probably realize by now that is bonnie's kitchen. :)

We are currently in the process of redoing our kitchen and my biggest gripe is with my husband leaving mail, keys, cellphone and other junk on the existing peninsula...so in the redo, we've designed a countertop space with a lift up hydraulic door so he can drop his "stuff", close the door so I don't have to see it!!!!

Nothing is on the island right now. It is a very large island and I use it to fold laundry, polish silver, arrange flowers, etc. I decorate it for special occasions - I usually use a very large antique handled tray that I'll put things on top of - then I can whisk the whole thing away in one swoop if I need to. I'm using it for a buffet party this Friday.

Cat, I'm like you. I decorate it for special ocassions, but it's my workspace during the day. I'm always putting things on it for me to do later.

Heh, just yesterday I stuck a boquet of flowers in my favorite vintage vase to work on later, full of water. When I wasn't looking my cat rubbed up against it, knocked it over, and the vase broke into pieces, with glass and water all over the bar and floor!

I know if I decorated it, everything would be moved in an hour. lol

Ha, loved the cat on the counter - cute.

Right now I have crystals I am cleaning for the original chandeliers I am currently restoring for the house.

Normally I have nothing on my island and eating bar except a bowl of fresh fruit.